John Minieri is a Curatorial Fellow in Wave Hill’s Visual Arts Department.

The New Year is only two weeks old and things at Wave Hill are already off to a great start as we continue to prepare ourselves for the winter snow that is sure to come. As the Curatorial Fellow in the Visual Arts Department, I have had the opportunity to enjoy the gardens and gallery at Wave Hill during the changing seasons from summer to fall and now to winter (though of late it has felt much more like spring than the frigid temperatures we’re used to). Whether it’s due to the beautiful sunsets over the Hudson River and Palisades or the warmth inside the tropical house, winter at Wave Hill is proving to be a very special source of inspiration. With that in mind, what I’m especially excited about is our Winter Workspace program.

For the third consecutive year, artists are taking over Glyndor Gallery and converting it from exhibition space into their own studios. This year, 10 artists, working in a variety of media and formats, will be in residence during two, six-week sessions, from now until late March. The Winter Workspace provides artists not only with a space to create new work and continue ongoing projects, but also the opportunity for daily interaction with a natural environment not often encountered within the urban landscape of New York City. The first group of artists has quickly taken to their studios and begun to make regular appearances in the gardens and Marco Polo Stufano Conservatory, while continuing to explore and learn more about Wave Hill.

The five artists in the first session, which began January 3 and lasts until February 12, are Carrie Beckmann, a watercolorist who paints directly from nature and can normally be found working in the Conservatory; Danielle Durchslag, who is using cut and layered paper to represent Wave Hill’s natural surroundings; Sabrina Gschwandtner, who has covered her studio floor with 16mm-film strips (some found stock and some she’s shot at Wave Hill) that will be sewn together to create illuminated quilts; Nick Lamia, who is experimenting with plein-air drawings as a source for multi-dimensional abstractions; and Adam Parker Smith, who has been busily painting colorful, wall-sized assemblages of plants and flowers based on observations at Wave Hill. Along with creating their own work, the artists will also lead public workshops during their time at Wave Hill. More information about the workshops can be found here.

Throughout the course of the Workspace, I will be spending time with each artist individually in their studios and the gardens to see what they’ve been working on. Keep reading Wave Hill’s blog to learn more about each artist, their work, and how they’ve been spending their time at Wave Hill. Check in next week to meet the first artist I’ll spend time with, and our first workshop leader, Nick Lamia.

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